For Clients · Signing Appointment
Signing Appointment
The Signing Appointment is where your completed estate plan is signed and executed. Before you come in, read the instructions for preparing a "not to exceed" check so everything is ready on the day.
Before You Schedule
Read this before you schedule
Congratulations. Your estate planning documents are complete and ready for signing. Please read the following in full before scheduling your Signing Appointment.
Critical: bring valid photo ID
You must bring a valid, current (that is, unexpired) government-issued photo ID to the Signing Appointment. An expired ID may be accepted only if it was issued within the previous five years, which means most expired driver’s licenses will not qualify.
Valid identification includes any of the following:
- An identification card or driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles
- A United States passport
- Another California-approved identification card, as long as it also shows a photograph, a description of the person, the person’s signature, and an identifying number:
- A passport issued by a foreign government, if it has been stamped by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- A driver’s license issued by another state or by a Canadian or Mexican public agency authorized to issue driver’s licenses
- An identification card issued by another state
- A United States military identification card with the required photograph, description of the person, signature, and identifying number (some military IDs do not contain all of these)
- An inmate identification card issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody
- An employee identification card issued by an agency or office of the State of California, or of a city, county, or city and county in California
For notarization of legal documents, the law requires that your photo ID carry your name, and that the name on it be at least equal to the name used in your legal documents.
Example that works
You are signing as John H. Smith and your DMV license reads John Howard Smith. This ID works for notarization, because the initial “H” can indicate “Howard.”
Example that does not work
You are signing as John Howard Smith and your DMV license reads John H. Smith. This ID is not sufficient, because the “H” could stand for another name, such as “Henry.”
Scheduling
Signing Appointments are generally available at several times Monday through Friday. To arrange a Saturday or another time during the week, email rpb@lawbob.com to see whether special arrangements can be made.
Your Signing Appointment will show a 90-minute time slot, with the intention of taking up to one hour to sign everything. At the 30-minute mark, an additional signing witness may join to act as a second witness for any Pour-Over Will(s) that need to be signed.
Please allow at least two business days
Unless the office has told you otherwise, please give at least two business days’ advance notice for any Signing Appointment you wish to schedule. That time is needed to arrange a signing witness for certain documents and to complete the final review and assembly of your estate planning portfolio binder. If you are booking on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, do not book for the following Monday, since that does not allow enough time to print and assemble your plan and arrange a witness.
Book your Signing Appointment
Before you come in
Not sure which link you need, or sent here for something else? Email info@lawbob.com or call (408) 247-0444 and the office will point you to the right place.
For Clients
Need a different appointment?
Plan Design Meetings, Signing Appointments, and Client Updates each have their own scheduling links and worksheets. They are all gathered in one place.